YellowKing wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 12:51 pm
I'm assuming we should be getting actual shipping notices any day now.
They're using FunAgain Games. I would expect the game to be delivered for a week and you'll get a random email from them in late May letting you know it shipped.
And they're already screwing things up. Apparently they aren't shipping to the correct address for folks who changed their address months before today even, and there's an "invoice" problem being mentioned by one of the Succubus folks.
hepcat wrote:And they're already screwing things up. Apparently they aren't shipping to the correct address for folks who changed their address months before today even, and there's an "invoice" problem being mentioned by one of the Succubus folks.
Oh no, that's not good. I emailed them about a change in address back in October and was assured it was changed.
And yeah, I'm going to have to temper my optimism. Apparently not all of the Europe orders have been fulfilled even 5 weeks after start of fulfillment.
Skinypupy wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 11:53 am
So, I've been actually wondering about this as well. Middara is my first ever Kickstarter, so I really have no idea how the process works.
This made me curious. My first kickstarter was D-Day Dice 10/29/2011. It looks like the sort of thing I should blame on hentzau.
hepcat wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 5:41 pm
Funagain doesn’t handle European orders though, does it?
No, though I can say just about every KS I'm part of that is having any type of Euro delivery is experiencing issues. Between COVID and Brexit, it sounds like a total cluster truck.
COVID and Brexit and cardboard shortages and canal blockages and container shortages. Even those that are no longer happening built up an incredible backlog that shipments have to wait for huge backlogs for boxes, shipping containers, ships, docking space, customs, warehousing, domestic transport, distributor warehousing/time, more shipping. And that's assuming they got through the initial factory backlog from the shutdowns to begin with.
Oh, and projects that launched before COVID are dealing with massively increased shipping fees on top of it, to the tunes of tens of thousands of dollars that they have to figure out how to handle - eat the loss, pass it on the customer with an extra bill, or (as one project did) just ask for voluntary backer donations and eat whatever loss is left (they were honest, people appreciated it, and ended up recouping all of the extra costs.)
I've gotten two KSs anywhere near on-time in the past year. One was a tiny project with only a couple of hundred backers, the other was digital files. Absolutely everything else is running way, way behind schedule. And most people have been pretty understanding that the world is tied in a Gordian knot right now, save for the minor temper tantrum that gets quickly shut down.
That's all part of it, but when they actually have product in hand and are sending them out of EU hubs, there are issues. People getting wrong things, going to wrong addresses and needing to pay extra fees. It's bad everywhere.
A sudden shortage of cardboard is impacting on home deliveries. Some specialist sellers are unable to ship orders because of a lack of correct packaging. Corrugated cardboard has become so sought-after it is now being called ‘beige gold’.
...
ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT, explains: “The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) says demand for cardboard boxes from online retailers is five years ahead of pre-pandemic levels. On top of this increased demand, lockdown means packaging is taking longer to be recycled because shops and restaurants, when they are open, recycle more quickly than domestic users. Add to the mix packaging being stockpiled in warehouses because of Brexit, and there’s little wonder there is a severe shortage.
A sudden shortage of cardboard is impacting on home deliveries. Some specialist sellers are unable to ship orders because of a lack of correct packaging. Corrugated cardboard has become so sought-after it is now being called ‘beige gold’.
...
ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT, explains: “The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) says demand for cardboard boxes from online retailers is five years ahead of pre-pandemic levels. On top of this increased demand, lockdown means packaging is taking longer to be recycled because shops and restaurants, when they are open, recycle more quickly than domestic users. Add to the mix packaging being stockpiled in warehouses because of Brexit, and there’s little wonder there is a severe shortage.
Cardboard shortages are wrecking production costs as well. I received a quote a few days ago for my new game and was told costs on all whiteboard components are up between 20-30% based on the quantity and quality. I was planning to do a DinoGenics reprint this year as well but that just isn't possible in the current climate. My margins on DG can not survive a 30% price increase.
Skinypupy wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 11:53 am
So, I've been actually wondering about this as well. Middara is my first ever Kickstarter, so I really have no idea how the process works.
This made me curious. My first kickstarter was D-Day Dice 10/29/2011. It looks like the sort of thing I should blame on hentzau.
Well, hopefully you didn’t go Line for Life on it…
(Still a great game IMO)
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
YellowKing wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 12:51 pm
I'm assuming we should be getting actual shipping notices any day now.
They're using FunAgain Games. I would expect the game to be delivered for a week and you'll get a random email from them in late May letting you know it shipped.
And they're already screwing things up. Apparently they aren't shipping to the correct address for folks who changed their address months before today even, and there's an "invoice" problem being mentioned by one of the Succubus folks.
The address screw up is for etched dice replacement from previous Kickstarter. I saw the invoice issue, they put the value of the shipment as the whole campaign instead of wave 1 content only. This caused a Russian to pay a heavy customs fee. This is a sign of amateur hour and they should have or consult with someone to help with the production management and logistics.
Skinypupy wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 11:19 pm
Got a notice from Funagain last night that Middara has shipped. Should be here Saturday.
Interestingly, that backer page that Hepcat so helpfully linked for me doesn't have any updates, and still doesn't show it's been shipped.
That’s pretty common though. Pledge managers don’t usually display shippping or tracking info.
I got my funagain shipping notice Wednesday afternoon....and it still is just listed as label created and waiting for pickup when I check the tracking number they gave me. Par for the course for funagain. It will actually ship a week or two from now, most likely.
Well neat, my tracking info just changed to “arrives Monday”.
Still not sure why I backed this one, to be honest. I’m not a fan of jrpg stuff. I think I was just in Kickstarter berserker mode one night. That or Smoove backed it and I saw that he backed it.
hepcat wrote: Fri May 07, 2021 7:32 pm
That or Smoove backed it and I saw that he backed it.
The theme is still a non-draw for me, but the mechanics are quite fun and the story/narrative depth (amount/volume) really pulled me in. Granted, it's been a looooooong time since I've played, but I'm really looking forward to jumping back in.
I love JRPGs so the theme was fine for me, but I was a little hesitant to go in on a nearly Gloomhaven-sized campaign game given all the campaign games I've never finished.
However I was discussing the impending arrival of this with my game group, and they started getting really intrigued. They want to try Crawl Mode or the tutorial and if it clicks possibly play this before Frosthaven.
This one is pretty much ALL theme for me. I've actually become less interested in long, complex campaign-style games over the past year, but couldn't resist a potential "Final Fantasy in a box" style of game.
(Side Note: I'm kinda surprised there's not really a Final Fantasy board game out there (the Chocobo one sucks, and the CCG doesn't count). Seems like it would be a perfect franchise to create a core game around, then do add on/xpacs for each of the main games in the series. Or do a "mix and match", with heroes and villains from different games battling against each other. Cloud/Zidane/Cecil vs Kefka/Sephiroth/Ultimecia in a smash-up sort of battle would be very cool.)
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
Now I am waiting NOT-SO-PATIENTLY for my Middara to ship...
I am always a little nervous about these things. This one in particular, because I actually requested a refund then, when my financial situation changed, I bought back in. So I hope I get it and I may be waiting until the end.
The Succubus employee who decided to use that flimsy sheet of paper for the back cover of the rules manual needs to be given a noogie. That is annoying when I try to read it.
And I just received the shipping notice for Time of Legends: Destinies. It will be here Thursday. So yeah...way too much this week.
hepcat wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 6:22 pm
And I just received the shipping notice for Time of Legends: Destinies. It will be here Thursday. So yeah...way too much this week.
Oh wow, I didn't realize you backed this too. My copy was shipped on Friday with a delivery date of today, but as of 11:30 this morning, it's still in Florida. I am quite excited for this one as I *think* it's going to be low-key enough for my brain right now.
That would explain a lot. I honestly didn't even remember backing it. Apparently things got weird for a while during the pandemic and I joined as a late backer.
hepcat wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 6:22 pm
The Succubus employee who decided to use that flimsy sheet of paper for the back cover of the rules manual needs to be given a noogie. That is annoying when I try to read it.
I tore mine off.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
So my dilemma now is, should I just wait for the wave 2 box with the promo adventurers and other stuff, or start playing now. It seems like a waste to start now on a game that’s meant to be played really just once when I don’t have everything for it that I could be playing with.
To be honest that just reads like a disgruntled employee disgruntling. I was expecting scandal, but what I got was mostly whining.
There are plenty of real horror story Kickstarter projects though. From people who are quite literally mentally ill, to the all too frequent developers who run off with the money without even trying to make good on a promise.
I'm going to pass on this until I see it at a convention. I know the shipping in the USA is only 10 bucks, but they show up at most of the conventions I go to, so I can just save even that...and maybe get some swag in the process.
I also own most of what's available for the original run of this series. If you like Heroscape, you'll love Hoplomachus. They're very similar in gameplay.
The thing with Victorium though is they've added a solo campaign. I played the original (Origins) and it was a bit flat for me. Granted, it was before I re-discovered (and came to appreciate) Too Many Bones, however, when I see "solo campaign", I'm instantly interested.
hepcat wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 1:22 pm
There's a solo campaign in the original as well.
Yeah? As I recall (from what I had) it was a series of challenges that just escalated in difficulty. I didn't get the impression there was any kind of linked narrative. Maybe it was what I had? My impression was that it was entry-level super basic set used as in introduction to the mechanics.
No, it was pretty simple. With the Hoplomachus: Origins stand alone expansion though, you were tasked with running a Ludus and hiring gladiators to fight based off the rewards from previous battles. But it wasn't terribly involved.
I'm struggling to decide between going just Victorum, just Hoplo Remastered or both. Getting both is a BIG ask, and would be fiscally irresponsible if I'm being honest. But one or the other I could swing.
My gut says go Hoplo, because you can still play solo and have the versatility to play with a group if needed (not that I've EVER played Lost Cities with a group). Plus I never owned any of the games outside of Lost Cities, so all that content would be new to me.
On the other hand, the solo campaign for Victorum looks really intriguing. The other option is to just pass and pick it up after release, since Chip Theory stuff is always available from their web store (or GenCon booth) eventually.
